Hidden air pollutants on the rise in cities in India and the UK: study
According to scientists, the level of air pollutants in cities in India is increasing.
Researchers used a long record of data collected by space-based instruments to estimate trends in a range of air pollutants from 2005 to 2018, reflecting well-established air quality policies in the UK and rapid growth in India Was timed to coincide with.
The study was led by the University of Birmingham and UCL and consisted of an international team of contributors from Belgium, India, Jamaica and the UK. The researchers published their findings in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, noting that hazardous particles (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), both hazardous to health, are increasing in Kanpur and Delhi.
Delhi is developing rapidly and Kanpur was ranked as the most polluted city in the world by WHO in 2018. Researchers speculate that the increase in PM2.5 and NO2 in India reflects the limited impact of vehicle ownership, industrialization, and air pollution policies to date.
This contrasts with trends in UK cities London and Birmingham, reflecting a slight but ongoing decline in PM2.5 and NOx, reflecting the success of policies targeting sources that emit these pollutants.
He also saw an increase in the air pollutant formaldehyde in Delhi, Kanpur and London. Formaldehyde is a marker for emissions of volatile organic compounds that include a large contribution from vehicle emissions in India, and in the UK, a growing contribution from personal care and cleaning products, and a range of other household sources.
Karna Vohra, study lead author and Ph.D. The student at the University of Birmingham commented: “We wanted to demonstrate the usefulness of satellite observations to monitor city air pollution in the UK, where land-based measurements are in abundance and in India where they are not. Our approach will enable .
” To provide useful information about air quality trends in cities with limited surface monitoring capabilities. This is important because the WHO estimates that there are 4.2 million deaths per year from outdoor air pollution. “
Co-author Professor William Blass, also from the University of Birmingham, commented, “We were surprised to see formaldehyde growth over Delhi, Kanpur and London – a clue that is changing emissions of other volatile organic compounds, possibly economically driven Development and changes in household behavior. Our results emphasize the need to monitor us for unpredictable air, and the importance of ongoing enforcement for cleaner air. “
“There is more than a decade of observations available freely from instruments in space to monitor and assess air quality in cities around the world; greater use of them in the UK, India and beyond is paramount to successful air quality policies” Is “, dr. Eloise Marais, Earth observation specialist at UCL and conceptual leadership of the study.
The study was led by the University of Birmingham and UCL and consisted of an international team of contributors from Belgium, India, Jamaica and the UK. The researchers published their findings in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, noting that hazardous particles (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), both hazardous to health, are increasing in Kanpur and Delhi.
Delhi is developing rapidly and Kanpur was ranked as the most polluted city in the world by WHO in 2018. Researchers speculate that the increase in PM2.5 and NO2 in India reflects the limited impact of vehicle ownership, industrialization, and air pollution policies to date.
This contrasts with trends in UK cities London and Birmingham, reflecting a slight but ongoing decline in PM2.5 and NOx, reflecting the success of policies targeting sources that emit these pollutants.
He also saw an increase in the air pollutant formaldehyde in Delhi, Kanpur and London. Formaldehyde is a marker for emissions of volatile organic compounds that include a large contribution from vehicle emissions in India, and in the UK, a growing contribution from personal care and cleaning products and a range of other household sources.
Karna Vohra, the study’s lead author and PhD student at the University of Birmingham, commented: “We wanted to demonstrate the utility of satellite observations for monitoring air pollution in the UK, where land-based measurements are in abundance and in India. Are not.
Our approach will be able to provide useful information about air quality trends in cities with limited surface monitoring capabilities. This is important because the WHO estimates that there are 4.2 million deaths per year from outdoor air pollution. “
